Istanbul: Scuderia Ecosse preview

The final round of the 2005 Le Mans Endurance Series takes place in
Istanbul, Turkey, next week. This is new territory for the LMES
competitors and the Scuderia Ecosse team is looking forward to the
challenge. The team is currently lying third in...

The final round of the 2005 Le Mans Endurance Series takes place in
Istanbul, Turkey, next week. This is new territory for the LMES
competitors and the Scuderia Ecosse team is looking forward to the
challenge. The team is currently lying third in the Championship but the
scores are tight so there is a lot to play for; not least an automatic
entry for the 2006 Le Mans 24 Hours!

NATHAN KINCH KEEN TO GET BACK BEHIND THE WHEEL OF THE 360

Although Nathan Kinch hasn't raced the Ferrari 360 since the last British
GT round a month ago, he has been out on the track a few times since
then, in a Ferrari F1 car! He has had two outings in a 2003 Barrichello
car and thoroughly enjoyed every second, but he's now fully focused on
getting the GT job done at Istanbul.

"I've had a lot of fun in the last month but its back to business now; we
have a lot to do in Turkey. I'm expecting quite a physical race, what
with it being an anti-clockwise track, but from what I've seen the
circuit looks incredible. I'll have a walk around the track with our race
engineer before the practice starts - maybe a drive too - so we can work
out the racing line and the various braking points. There's no substitute
for getting out there in the race car though and I can't wait."

ANDREW KIRKALDY GUNNING FOR A WIN

Although Andrew and Nathan have been dominant on the British GT
Championship this year, with eleven out of thirteen possible victories,
they are still looking for that elusive LMES win. Andrew has been busy
testing drivers for his Formula Renault team in the last month and is
looking forward to putting the laptop down and picking up his racing
gloves!

"I'm really looking forward to this one as the track looks great.
Obviously it's hard to get a proper view from two-dimensional TV pictures
but Turn Eight looks amazing! It will take us a few laps to get dialled
into the track but I'm hopeful of a great finale to the season and
hopefully a great result too!"

SCUDERIA ECOSSE LOOKING TO TAKE SECOND IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP

Although logistically difficult, the LMES race in Istanbul should provide
a great closing race for what has been a hard-fought LMES season. The
Scuderia Ecosse team is currently lying third in the Championship but the
scores are very tight; this means that the team needs to go all out to
finish ahead of any other GT2 runner.

"The runner-up spot is anyone's at the moment and we'd like to make it
ours," said Team Principal, Stewart Roden. "Naturally we'd like to win
the Championship but that has gone; I think second would be a great
result for our rookie season in LMES, so that's what we're going for.
It's also no secret that second place generates an automatic entry for
the 2006 Le Mans 24 Hours which, as everyone knows, is the ultimate event
for us."

ABOUT ISTANBUL PARK

The circuit at Istanbul Park is brand-new; it was completed this summer
in time for its first Formula One Grand Prix and proved an instant hit
with the F1 drivers. Situated on the Asian side of Istanbul, the circuit
runs in an anti-clockwise direction and has a wide variety of turns, and
many changes of gradient. The track was designed by Hermann Tilke, the
architect of the new breed of F1 race tracks, and the man behind the
spectacular Bahrain, Shanghai and Sepang race circuits. Since the F1 race
in August, the circuit has seen action from FIA GT, WTCC and DTM cars;
any drivers competing in those categories as well as LMES will have a
distinct advantage next weekend.